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Federal prosecutors will investigate alleged election irregularities. Attorney general William Barr told them to only look into “substantial allegations,” that are normally for states to deal with, and ignore “specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims.” A justice department official quit in response to Barr’s memo.
Donald Trump fired the secretary of defense. Mark Esper, who clashed with the outgoing president over the deployment of military personnel during the summer’s antiracism protests, will be replaced by Christopher Miller, director of the national counterterrorism center.
Pfizer said its Covid-19 vaccine is 90% effective. However, the early data are far from conclusive—even if oil companies (📈) and everyone’s favorite lockdown businesses (📉) are already feeling the results—and little is known about the company’s deal with the US. Meanwhile, Joe Biden announced a task force to tackle the virus.
The UK becomes the first major country to mandate corporate disclosure of risks from climate change. The policy will be in place by 2025, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced yesterday. He also discussed Britain’s first “green gilt,” with the money raised paying for carbon-reducing projects and job creation.
Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat died of Covid-19. The 65-year-old was secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and chief negotiator in peace talks with Israel for the past 25 years. Erekat was born in Jerusalem, and educated in the US and UK.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace deal. Brokered by Russia, the agreement will end the weeks-long military conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moscow has sent nearly 2,000 troops to patrol the area as peacekeepers.
Biden’s global ripples
- 🇹🇼 🙌 Taiwan congratulated the US president-elect. China kept silent.
- 🇷🇺 🇹🇷 🤐 Russia and Turkey are also staying mum. That should get your attention.
- 🇮🇳 🤝 Ties with India will get even stronger. Even more so than with Trump.
- 🌍 🇨🇳 Africa will see some changes. But China’s presence there will still be a focus.
- 📺 🗣 Meanwhile, Trump may go back to TV. It won’t be Fox, and it won’t be easy.
Charting voter turnout
Americans turned out to vote in record numbers this year. But those numbers are still far below voter turnout in other major rich countries. One big reason is that the electoral system is seen as difficult to navigate, meaning that a lot of people avoid it or get it wrong. Registration is opt-in, and election day is just that: a single day—and a weekday at that. And then there’s a general distrust in the system to contend with. Annabelle Timsit will help you sort out the discrepancy.
Climate tech’s second shot
Hundreds of startup founders in Silicon Valley are reorganizing their lives around the idea of “decarbonize everything.” A small but passionate group of founders and engineers are leaving companies like Tesla, or skipping the tech giants entirely, to take aim at what they call the biggest opportunity of a generation: climate tech.
A decade ago, enthusiasm swelled for the renewable energy boom known as clean tech, leading to billions of dollars in losses as startups furiously spent venture capital with few solvent companies to show for it.
But climate funds are popping up once again. Billions of dollars are pouring back into the sector. Still, as Silicon Valley stands on the brink of another potential boom, investors remain a bit nervous about the next big bust. Can Silicon Valley invest its way out of climate change? Read more in our guide to climate tech.
We’re obsessed with micromobility
Tiny vehicles for tiny trips. With large areas underserved by public transportation, and urban car ownership often more trouble than it’s worth, what’s going to move urbanites on shorter missions like a quick trip to the corner store? Enter the micro-mobility industry, whose ethos is: Small is beautiful (the trip and the vehicle). This undersized focus could have an oversized impact on the way we move, the sustainability of our transport, and the way we design our cities. The Quartz Weekly Obsession will take you from point A to point B.
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Surprising discoveries
Archaeologists found a 2 million-year-old “human” skull. It’s a male Paranthropus robustus, a cousin of our direct ancestor Homo erectus.
“Lockdown” is the word of the year. Collins Dictionary found the use of the noun soared from 4,000 instances last year to over a quarter of a million in 2020.
Female mongooses go to war to find love. They form battle lines, and in the chaos that follows, mate with the enemy and avoid inbreeding.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Netflix is offering French viewers a TV channel experience similar to old-fashioned cable.
Australian Instagrammers are being put out to pasture. With most foreign travel canceled, local canola fields have become a top destination for like-inducing photos.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, decision-free TV, and non-profane words for 2020 to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Jane Li, Tripti Lahiri, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.